Do you hoard discontinued pedals that make up ''your'' sound?

Everyone needs a stompbox.
User avatar
s_mcsleazy
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 18424
Joined: Thu Jul 28, 2011 7:30 am
Location: glasgow

Re: Do you hoard discontinued pedals that make up ''your'' sound?

Post by s_mcsleazy » Thu Jun 16, 2022 3:51 am

johnnysomersett wrote:
Wed Jun 15, 2022 9:32 pm
s_mcsleazy wrote:
Wed Jun 15, 2022 2:49 pm
kinda. i leave my proper pedalboard at the practice space and a scaled down version (kinda) in my flat. the downside i've found is most proco rats sound different from each other and finding ones that sound like my favorite one have been an ongoing quest with no end in sight. no really, i've owned maybe about 25 different ones and none really come close to ol' fuckface. although, my lil rat is 90% similar so that's fine with me.

i think the other issue is so many of my pedals are kinda..... tailored to me. like half my board is pedals i've built or modded to get as close to the sound i want as possible. so if i buy backups for my alt board, i usually have to mod them to be like my main board.

although, i have noticed in recent years i keep buying 90's "metal" distortions to get that 90's skate-punk sound....... it's starting to become a problem since i don't even play in that kinda problem.
I've found recently that I can get way more sounds out of my venerable old HM-2 than they get credit for. I can get pretty close to a very gritty Blues Driver (which sounds like a cranked Bassman), extremely close to a Rat, a fat Mesa-style chugg, skatepunk distortion and thrashy Municipal Waste grind AND the shitty Norwegian sound. It's super versatile if you spend the time with it - probably thanks to its tone controls having such a monstrous range.

I've also struggled with the duplicate Rat thing. My one I've had since 1995 sounds different to every other one I've tried. I might try and build my own by taking measurements of all the components one day if I get really really bored (but probably won't).
my favorite one is the dean markley tube overlord followed in close second by the dod metal maniac

also weird but my rat is a 95 and nothing else sounds like it.
offset guitars resident bass player.
'Are you trying to seduce me Mrs Robinson? Or do you just want me to solder a couple of resistors into your Muff?'

User avatar
sal paradise
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 3597
Joined: Thu May 27, 2021 12:41 am

Re: Do you hoard discontinued pedals that make up ''your'' sound?

Post by sal paradise » Thu Jun 16, 2022 4:15 am

s_mcsleazy wrote:
Thu Jun 16, 2022 3:51 am
johnnysomersett wrote:
Wed Jun 15, 2022 9:32 pm
s_mcsleazy wrote:
Wed Jun 15, 2022 2:49 pm
kinda. i leave my proper pedalboard at the practice space and a scaled down version (kinda) in my flat. the downside i've found is most proco rats sound different from each other and finding ones that sound like my favorite one have been an ongoing quest with no end in sight. no really, i've owned maybe about 25 different ones and none really come close to ol' fuckface. although, my lil rat is 90% similar so that's fine with me.

i think the other issue is so many of my pedals are kinda..... tailored to me. like half my board is pedals i've built or modded to get as close to the sound i want as possible. so if i buy backups for my alt board, i usually have to mod them to be like my main board.

although, i have noticed in recent years i keep buying 90's "metal" distortions to get that 90's skate-punk sound....... it's starting to become a problem since i don't even play in that kinda problem.
I've found recently that I can get way more sounds out of my venerable old HM-2 than they get credit for. I can get pretty close to a very gritty Blues Driver (which sounds like a cranked Bassman), extremely close to a Rat, a fat Mesa-style chugg, skatepunk distortion and thrashy Municipal Waste grind AND the shitty Norwegian sound. It's super versatile if you spend the time with it - probably thanks to its tone controls having such a monstrous range.

I've also struggled with the duplicate Rat thing. My one I've had since 1995 sounds different to every other one I've tried. I might try and build my own by taking measurements of all the components one day if I get really really bored (but probably won't).
my favorite one is the dean markley tube overlord followed in close second by the dod metal maniac

also weird but my rat is a 95 and nothing else sounds like it.
I have a 90s rat, but I can’t quite get the sound I want from it. Any tips?
I have nothing to offer anybody, except my own confusion?

User avatar
JSett
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 8804
Joined: Mon Jun 01, 2009 1:33 pm
Location: Old Hampshire, Old England

Re: Do you hoard discontinued pedals that make up ''your'' sound?

Post by JSett » Thu Jun 16, 2022 4:24 am

sal paradise wrote:
Thu Jun 16, 2022 4:15 am
I have a 90s rat, but I can’t quite get the sound I want from it. Any tips?
What sound do you want?
Silly Rabbit, don't you know scooped mids are for kids?

User avatar
s_mcsleazy
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 18424
Joined: Thu Jul 28, 2011 7:30 am
Location: glasgow

Re: Do you hoard discontinued pedals that make up ''your'' sound?

Post by s_mcsleazy » Thu Jun 16, 2022 4:25 am

sal paradise wrote:
Thu Jun 16, 2022 4:15 am


I have a 90s rat, but I can’t quite get the sound I want from it. Any tips?
i dunno if this is the same for everyone but there's usually a point in most proco rat circuits where it's not going to get any more distorted, it's just going to get noisier, that's where you want to set your gain, around where it's not going to get any more distorted. when it comes to the filter, set it at the point where you feel the most present. after that, just set the level wherever.
offset guitars resident bass player.
'Are you trying to seduce me Mrs Robinson? Or do you just want me to solder a couple of resistors into your Muff?'

User avatar
sal paradise
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 3597
Joined: Thu May 27, 2021 12:41 am

Re: Do you hoard discontinued pedals that make up ''your'' sound?

Post by sal paradise » Thu Jun 16, 2022 4:39 am

johnnysomersett wrote:
Thu Jun 16, 2022 4:24 am
sal paradise wrote:
Thu Jun 16, 2022 4:15 am
I have a 90s rat, but I can’t quite get the sound I want from it. Any tips?
What sound do you want?
In my head I want that Weezer blue album sound. But know that was a lot of small amps pushed hard as well as rat.

But it’s probably dynamics with a lot of gain on. And I think McSleazy might have given me some simple things to try.
s_mcsleazy wrote:
Thu Jun 16, 2022 4:25 am
[quote="sal paradise" post_id=<a href="tel:1730196">1730196</a> time=<a href="tel:1655381706">1655381706</a> user_id=29640]


I have a 90s rat, but I can’t quite get the sound I want from it. Any tips?
i dunno if this is the same for everyone but there's usually a point in most proco rat circuits where it's not going to get any more distorted, it's just going to get noisier, that's where you want to set your gain, around where it's not going to get any more distorted. when it comes to the filter, set it at the point where you feel the most present. after that, just set the level wherever.
[/quote]
I have nothing to offer anybody, except my own confusion?

User avatar
JSett
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 8804
Joined: Mon Jun 01, 2009 1:33 pm
Location: Old Hampshire, Old England

Re: Do you hoard discontinued pedals that make up ''your'' sound?

Post by JSett » Thu Jun 16, 2022 4:43 am

I use mine completely differently to Sean. I set the gain to that 'JCM 800 fed with a Super Distortion'/Fugazi crunch - which is quite low really - dial it back a smidge, push the volume up a bit then feed that into a gritty amp.

That actually gives me quite a good Weezer Blue vibe....maybe push the gain up a touch for a fuzzier edge.
Silly Rabbit, don't you know scooped mids are for kids?

User avatar
sal paradise
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 3597
Joined: Thu May 27, 2021 12:41 am

Re: Do you hoard discontinued pedals that make up ''your'' sound?

Post by sal paradise » Thu Jun 16, 2022 5:19 am

johnnysomersett wrote:
Thu Jun 16, 2022 4:43 am
I use mine completely differently to Sean. I set the gain to that 'JCM 800 fed with a Super Distortion'/Fugazi crunch - which is quite low really - dial it back a smidge, push the volume up a bit then feed that into a gritty amp.

That actually gives me quite a good Weezer Blue vibe....maybe push the gain up a touch for a fuzzier edge.
Fuzzed out 800 would be a perfect sound. What I’m hearing is try it as a boost to a slightly driven channel?
I have nothing to offer anybody, except my own confusion?

User avatar
hulakatt
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 1052
Joined: Sat May 08, 2010 7:58 pm
Location: Pittsburgh

Re: Do you hoard discontinued pedals that make up ''your'' sound?

Post by hulakatt » Thu Jun 16, 2022 5:32 am

Do I have multiples of some pedals? Absolutely.

Because they're core to "my sound"? If I'm honest, Absolutely not. There are very few pedals that don't share enough overlap with other pedals that can be just as serviceable and, for better or for worse and regardless of gear, I still sound like me, no matter how hard I try. Almost any guitar, almost any amp, almost any of the same type of effects, I'm gonna dial it all in to sound the same as I always do and I'm gonna play it in the same way and no one else is gonna notice. I might not even notice other than how I have to work a bit differently to do the same things.
She/Her

User avatar
hulakatt
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 1052
Joined: Sat May 08, 2010 7:58 pm
Location: Pittsburgh

Re: Do you hoard discontinued pedals that make up ''your'' sound?

Post by hulakatt » Thu Jun 16, 2022 5:39 am

sal paradise wrote:
Thu Jun 16, 2022 4:39 am
In my head I want that Weezer blue album sound. But know that was a lot of small amps pushed hard as well as rat.
I thought that was a MKI 100 watt Boogie (set crunchy but low) through a Marshall 4x12 (8x10 style cab)? I know they all used a lot of guitars but I didn't know they changed up the amp setup that much too.

From Weezerpedia:
In New York, Ric Ocasek introduced Rivers to his guitar collection, from which three guitars got heavy use on the record: A red 60's Fender Jaguar, a Gibson Les Paul Junior Special, double cutaway, and another Les Paul Junior Special, in yellow (not pictured).

While in the original version of the equipment history, Koch noted "The Gibson (above) is definitely one of the finest guitars ive ever seen, and its sound is unbelievable, responsible for a lot of the sweet crunch found on the blue album", however, years later, Patrick Wilson claimed otherwise, saying "A superstrat is the way to go". When someone replied, asking about the information from the equipment history, Wilson simply replied "No". This, while unclear, seems to stack out with photos of Cuomo playing the infamous red Stratocaster during the recording of the album. Jason Cropper did note that every day he was present for the sessions, Rivers was using the red Stratocaster. It is possible that Cuomo recorded his parts with the red stratocaster, but used Ric Ocasek's Les Paul specials when he famously re-recorded Jason Cropper's guitar parts, after Cropper's exit from the sessions.

In any case, responsible for Cuomo's guitar tone during this period was the Mesa Mk. 1, still in top condition at this time. The Mesa was run through the tall Marshall, often at unusually low volume, to get some of the sounds on the album. Guitar recording was usually done with a mixture of dynamic, condeser, and ribbon microphones. It is not known if Cuomo used any effects pedals, save for one...

In 2014, recording engineer Chris Shaw claimed the following:

"The album was tracked on Electric Lady's Focurite Forte console in Studio A with the remote pres (the pres were in the live room and ran at line level to the console)(I posted some pics around here of it.). Some overdubs were done on the SSL G in studio C (I distinctly remember cutting the gtrs for in the Garage up there. I believe we used a Tele through a Big Muff using Electric Lady's Fender Twin for that tone. We also cut the clean rhythm for Say it Ain't So up there on Ric's Jaguar."
She/Her

User avatar
sal paradise
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 3597
Joined: Thu May 27, 2021 12:41 am

Re: Do you hoard discontinued pedals that make up ''your'' sound?

Post by sal paradise » Thu Jun 16, 2022 5:48 am

In the Garage is exactly the guitar tone I’ve imagined. It’s that thick, crunchy & slightly fuzzy rhythm that I’ve never quite managed to find with a Marshall, mesa or 5150.
I have nothing to offer anybody, except my own confusion?

User avatar
MechaBulletBill
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 2813
Joined: Sat Nov 09, 2013 8:16 am
Location: UK

Re: Do you hoard discontinued pedals that make up ''your'' sound?

Post by MechaBulletBill » Thu Jun 16, 2022 5:57 am

hulakatt wrote:
Thu Jun 16, 2022 5:32 am
Do I have multiples of some pedals? Absolutely.

Because they're core to "my sound"? If I'm honest, Absolutely not.
yeah, this is me as well. i feel weird having multiple fuzzes on the gig board, even though they don't sound remotely similar, but their functions for me could both be reduced to "be loud and fuzzy".

i think all i really want to play with is fuzz, weird thing (wah/phase/glitch), od/boost and delay. having options for those roles in the cupboard at home is more fun to me than having two of the same thing.

User avatar
JSett
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 8804
Joined: Mon Jun 01, 2009 1:33 pm
Location: Old Hampshire, Old England

Re: Do you hoard discontinued pedals that make up ''your'' sound?

Post by JSett » Thu Jun 16, 2022 6:53 am

sal paradise wrote:
Thu Jun 16, 2022 5:48 am
In the Garage is exactly the guitar tone I’ve imagined. It’s that thick, crunchy & slightly fuzzy rhythm that I’ve never quite managed to find with a Marshall, mesa or 5150.
Ruetz mod it (desolder or clip one leg of one resistor) then set it about 3/4 of the way up (depending on your pickup hotness) into a gritty amp. That'll get you there.
Silly Rabbit, don't you know scooped mids are for kids?

User avatar
hulakatt
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 1052
Joined: Sat May 08, 2010 7:58 pm
Location: Pittsburgh

Re: Do you hoard discontinued pedals that make up ''your'' sound?

Post by hulakatt » Thu Jun 16, 2022 7:03 am

MechaBulletBill wrote:
Thu Jun 16, 2022 5:57 am
hulakatt wrote:
Thu Jun 16, 2022 5:32 am
Do I have multiples of some pedals? Absolutely.

Because they're core to "my sound"? If I'm honest, Absolutely not.
yeah, this is me as well. i feel weird having multiple fuzzes on the gig board, even though they don't sound remotely similar, but their functions for me could both be reduced to "be loud and fuzzy".

i think all i really want to play with is fuzz, weird thing (wah/phase/glitch), od/boost and delay. having options for those roles in the cupboard at home is more fun to me than having two of the same thing.
Pretty much. I'm happy with a fuzz, some warble (chorus or vibe or both!) an OD or boost and some delay. My board will never be quite that simple but not that much more complicated either and I can and do rotate through pedals in those positions all the time. I love pedals for all kinds of different reasons but I hate it when I realize that they really don't sound as different as I'd like.

I have a whole pile of Fuzz Faces. Do they sound different? Absolutely! There is so much between each that I'd have a hard time parting with any of them. If I was reduced to any one of them, I probably wouldn't notice all that much either.
She/Her

User avatar
øøøøøøø
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 5984
Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2008 8:26 pm
Location: Los Angeles
Contact:

Re: Do you hoard discontinued pedals that make up ''your'' sound?

Post by øøøøøøø » Thu Jun 16, 2022 7:50 am

I’ve done this before. Not anymore, though.

It overrates the importance of a particular device. “My sound” is less about my equipment than my ideas, preferences, and aesthetic sensibility. That will find its way forward no matter what I happen to own.

I do still have multiples of some things, but usually that’s for practical reasons (I have multiple configurations in use… two touring setups plus a collection of stuff I like to keep loose for recording, so some redundancy is warranted)

User avatar
jorri
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 3036
Joined: Thu May 07, 2009 1:53 am
Location: bath, UK
Contact:

Re: Do you hoard discontinued pedals that make up ''your'' sound?

Post by jorri » Thu Jun 16, 2022 3:20 pm

I'd prefer to check out a new pedal for a sound. That said when my Hazarai broke i tried to use a few othersthat just didn't do what it did and the loop functions are rare. Not rare pedal though, and probably (?) grand canyon does some of it.

But price creep whilst they're in you possession also has pros, what if you did get rid of them and make a profit. At least something with me being broke and still buying lots of pedals is they rarely depreciate- that's how i afford it, i just can shift that second hand pedal i bought but don't need. Must havesold ten this year just because my finances don't allow a shelf of pedals unused, and some made some small change.

Post Reply